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Two teenage girls found dead hours after they went on country hike were MURDERED say police - and there are NO suspects or strong leads

Two bodies found by a creek along a hiking trail in Indiana were confirmed as the teenage girls who disappeared on Monday, police said today.

Abigail J. Williams, 13, of Delphi, and Liberty Rose Lynn German, 14, Delphi, were discovered at 12.15pm on Tuesday in the woods near Deer Creek by volunteers helping to search for the missing girls.

They were last seen by German's older sister who had dropped them off around lunchtime near the Monon High Bridge on the Delphi Historic Trails on Monday. The two girls were reported missing later that afternoon.

Police confirmed that a double homicide investigation was underway but would not comment on the cause of death of the two girls.

A search was conducted for Liberty German (right) and Abigail Williams (left) in the Deer Creek area after being missing for almost 24 hours

Liberty German posted these Snapchats of Abigail at at Monon High Bridge Trail close to when they started hiking around 2.07pm yesterday. They are the last photos of Williams

Start of trail: Wilson Bridge runs over the Delphi Historic Trail. The two girls were dropped off to go for a hike on the trail

The bodies were found in the area of the Monon High Bridge on the Delphi Historic Trail. Sgt Riley said people live along the road close to the trail.

'The crime scene is on private property, it's not on the trail itself and it's owned by a subject who lives on that road. '

When asked whether that person was being considered a suspect, Sgt Riley said: 'Right now, everybody is being considered. We are looking at every option, every angle that we have.'

Riley said there had only been three murders in the county in his 30 years on the force. 'It's not something that occurs every day, especially involving 13-year-old girls. That is not something that happens all the time.'

He described the area as a close-knit community where generations of family know each other. 'People are born here, stay here a lot. There's a lot of relations in this area, people know each other. They go to church together, they have community events.'

The bodies were discovered less than one mile away from the Monon High Bridge, where they were dropped off by family members at 1pm on Monday and were supposed to be collected later.

Both of the girls' cellphones either died or were powered off.

German's grandfather Mike Patty toldWLFI: 'The cellphone has been pinging around town – and here there is a cellphone tower – but the ping was last noted around five to six hours ago. And they say the phone is now dead.'

DELPHI, Ind. — Police didn't identify whose bodies were found Tuesday near Deer Creek, but indications were that they were 13-year-olds Liberty German and Abigail Williams, who had been missing since 5:30 p.m. Monday.

"We are investigating this as a crime scene," Indiana State Police Sgt. Kim Riley said at a news conference shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday. "We suspect foul play."

Riley, Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby and Delphi Police Chief Steve Mullins refused to say much more than that. They noted the bodies were found about 12:15 p.m. about a half to three-quarters of a mile upstream from Monon High Bridge, which is part of the Delphi Historic Trails.

The search parties for German and Williams ended when the bodies were found, said Amanda Leader from Brookston, who volunteered to look for the missing girls.

Riley said authorities haven't yet positively identified the bodies. He declined to comment on any injuries they might have suffered or to discuss the ages of the victims, but he said the search for the two missing girls had been scaled back significantly.

Riley says the bodies were found Tuesday on the edge of the creek about three-quarters of a mile from an abandoned railroad bridge where the two girls, Liberty German and Abigail Williams, had been dropped off to go hiking Monday. They were reported missing hours later after they did not appear at a predetermined meeting place.

Search parties scoured the base of the bridge, known locally as the Monon High Bridge, and surrounding trails Monday night, but darkness made it nearly impossible, Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby said.

Reminds me of the case in Walkeeka, Oklahoma, Skyla Whitaker, 11, and Taylor Placker, 13. Very sad case. Out walking on a country road and killed for no reason. The guy wasn't caught for a few years, until he killed his fiance.

Riley said authorities are not yet releasing the girls’ cause or manner of deaths, citing the ongoing investigation.

“The investigation is still in its baby steps, so to speak, and we don’t want to put that information out yet,” he said during a news conference in Delphi.

Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby said authorities do not yet have a suspect or suspects in the girls’ slayings. He said the teens’ deaths are very upsetting for residents in the city of about 3,000 residents that is the county seat.

Delphi is known for its historic courthouse square and a restored section of the historic Wabash & Erie Canal that offers trips on a replica 19th-century canal boat.

Leazenby and Riley urged the public, particularly people who were hiking Monday in the area where the girls went missing, to contact police with any tips they might have to help authorities in the investigation.

“We’re going to get to the bottom of this. We feel confident. And we’re going to do everything within our resources to reach justice in this situation,” Leazenby said.

Riley said the girls’ bodies were found in a wooded area about 50 feet from the banks of Deer Creek in an area less than a mile upstream from the railroad bridge that’s known locally as the Monon High Bridge.

Either of these beautiful young ladies could be my daughter. This is tearing me up. Such an amazing age - just expressing your independence, learning who you are and who you want to be. Going out for a short hike - laughing, taking selfies, telling secrets, making memories. They should both be home right now, eating dinner with their families, getting ready for school tomorrow. My heart hurts. Who would do this?

DELPHI, Ind. - Police confirmed the horror and fear that hung in the air around Delphi since Tuesday afternoon — the two bodies found were 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams.

"This is considered a double homicide investigation, and no further information will be released at this time," Indiana State Police Sgt. Kim Riley said during a news conference . Wednesday afternoon outside Delphi City Hall.

Riley and Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby had no words of comfort to offer the community. They said they wanted to protect the details of the investigation in hopes of catching the killer.

Admittedly, there is a killer — or killers — on the loose and no suspects in name or in custody, Riley and Leazenby said. They didn't comment whether this was a random act or whether the girls were targeted.
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If the topic of a killer on the streets was uncomfortable for Bohnert and his friends, who live in eastern Tippecanoe County, imagine how Tuesday's news about finding the missing girls dead hit Ron Logan. He owns the land behind the cemetery where the girls were found.

"To have anyone murdered on your property … I don't know what my feelings are right now. It caught me by surprise,” Logan said, recalling how the past two days have been filled with people — first the police, then the reporters — asking him questions upon questions.

"I haven’t really had a chance to let it soak in," Logan said after a brief pause to think about the day's events. "I know the families.”

Logan confirmed Riley's comments that the only way back to the hilly terrain between the cemetery and the creek is by foot. He also said schools were out Thursday, Friday and Monday for winter break, which explains why German and Williams were free to roam the trails.
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Investigators were back at the crime scene Wednesday east of the cemetery on Carroll County Road 300 North. People in dive suits could be seen from the road, and police dogs were visible from the road, too.

Riley and Leazenby declined to elaborate on what they were doing, other than to say they were gathering evidence.

Either of these beautiful young ladies could be my daughter. This is tearing me up. Such an amazing age - just expressing your independence, learning who you are and who you want to be. Going out for a short hike - laughing, taking selfies, telling secrets, making memories. They should both be home right now, eating dinner with their families, getting ready for school tomorrow. My heart hurts. Who would do this?

I am originally from Indiana. Delphi is a very small town, about 1/2 an hour from Lafayette/West Lafayette. The road between Delphi and the Lafayette area is very twisty and hilly. It takes about an hour to drive from West Lafayette to Indianapolis.

My heart goes out to both these families. That something as horrific as a double homicide could happen in Delphi is truly shocking.

I am originally from Indiana. Delphi is a very small town, about 1/2 an hour from Lafayette/West Lafayette. The road between Delphi and the Lafayette area is very twisty and hilly. It takes about an hour to drive from West Lafayette to Indianapolis.

My heart goes out to both these families. That something as horrific as a double homicide could happen in Delphi is truly shocking.

Click to expand...

Sunny...in your opinion, does this seem that it might be a local?
Was wondering if this area is farmland.

DELPHI, Ind. (WISH) — A community is working together to raise money for the families of Liberty German and Abigail Williams.

Close friends are now planning a benefit ride for the two girls this weekend and they’re expecting hundreds of people. They told told 24-Hour News 8 this is the least they could do to help a family going through unimaginable pain and loss.

This small town has forever changed after the disappearance and homicide of German and Williams. Brad Henry said this tragedy has affected everyone in the community.

“The whole community is just in shock, it’s just a tragedy, who would have thought,” Henry said. “There’s no words for it.”

Henry is a family friend and described Abigail as caring and a good daughter.

“She’s [a] very shy, very happy individual,” he said. “You know, you couldn’t ask for a better kid. She will never go anywhere outside of her mother’s permission.”

Looking for ways to support the family financially, Henry said Janis Grassmyer reached out with the idea for a benefit ride.

“Anytime there’s a child involved, the biker community comes together as a whole. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, what club you ride with,” Henry said. “We all come together especially when there’s kids involved.”

TIMELINE | Disappearance and deaths of Liberty German and Abigail Williams in Delphi

Here’s a timeline of the case as it has developed so far:

Monday, Feb. 13, 2017

1 p.m. A family member drops off the girls at a trail near Monon High Bridge, an abandoned railroad bridge over Deer Creek.

5:30 p.m. The girls fail to show up at a predetermined location to be picked up by a family member. They’re reported missing.

Monday night: A large search effort involving volunteers and multiple law enforcement agencies gets underway. They scour the area in an attempt to find Liberty and Abigail. The search is called off due to darkness.

12 a.m. Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby says in a news release that there is no reason to suspect foul play or to believe the girls are in immediate danger. The biggest concern is exposure to the elements.